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5T5 (Group 5 - STS THY)

Does Social Media Make Us More or Less Connected?

Abstract
(full paper here)

        This research project is about how social media affects the relationships between people, specifically, whether or not it actually makes us more or less connected to each other. This was done through both research and survey; research as that the researchers gathers resources to explore the question and try to objectively answer it through statistics, and survey as the researchers also gathered information from the people themselves to view the purpose on a more subjective level. Through both of these, the researchers have found that there exists many positive and negative effects with the presence of social media in our community that everyone should be aware about as not to harm themselves and their personal relationships with others. Also, according to the survey, most people do believe that social media does serves its purpose and makes people more connect in terms of distance, but it does not beat face-to-face communication.

The Myth of Beauty: Reaction Paper on Imelda

            Imelda Marcos was not only a first lady to the country but one of the driving forces in its development in a crucial time of economic growth and political angst. The coined term “imeldific,” means to be extravagant and ostentatious. In her time in politics, acting as Ferdinand’s right hand, we can how this translates to her development of the industrial and cultural sectors of society at the time.

            Through the documentary, the class was able to get to know Imelda, first and foremost through her personal philosophy. She believed that the concept of beauty should translate into all states of affairs in the country, and that if one is beautiful or exposed to beauty, then that person will never be miserable. She claimed that it is not difficult to be beautiful, because beauty emanates mainly from the self. It seems, however, that her works and contributions pointed the contrary. As misplaced funds played a key role in her projects.

            Through her strong personality to get things done herself and her recognizable and star-like persona, she was given power and opportunity to translate her desire into tangible manifestations. This came however, at the cost of the people, and became a great contribution to the country’s plunge into debt. One heavily debated project of hers was the Cultural Center of the Philippines, which on paper, seemed appropriate as culture and heritage plays a big part in the identity and beauty of the people. Another such project was the infamous Manila Film Center, wherein rushed construction led to the death of several workers. Even though these projects were good intentioned, they were prioritized ahead of the essential needs of the people, as poverty was becoming more and more of an issue at the time of the Marcos administration. In one of her interviews, she claimed that when the poor see her, and she is beautiful, then this would provide comfort for them. Perhaps, this was the same train of thought she had in her when spending on these projects. In these respects, she had turned a blind eye to the immediate needs of the poor, and contributed to chronic problem of class marginalization in this country, only to make the city look aesthetically pleasing.

            Indeed, development in society is to be desired, but at what costs can it still be considered justifiable? Science and technology play a key role in evolving nations, but only when placed in the proper hands and only when properly prioritized.

Redentor E. Claudio 

2013-59776

Singularity: Of Men And Machines

“Singularity: Of Men and Machines”

“The human process will achieve a kind of infinite velocity, everything becomes linked with everything else and matter becomes mind…” – Erik Davis

            Imagine having a time machine and dropping the latest Iphone or Samsung Galaxy inside, sending it back 60 years into the past, when computers cost over 60M dollars and were so massive, they had to occupy a whole room. How would the beholder of such technology react, finding a device equaling the size of his palm that had the same computing power as the computer then?

            Gadgets, technology, and computer sciences are facets of human society that are constantly being updated, revised, and improved at faster and faster rates. Through the years, functional machine intelligence has been getting smaller and cheaper, as reflected in advances in chip-speed relating to cost-effectiveness visible through the last 100 years. (Kurzweil 2001)

To put it in perspective: here is a graph calculated by computer engineer, futurist, and major proponent in the theory of singularity, Ray Kurweil. Here, he presents the aggregate calculations per second the average computer can make in different decades. You will notice that this processing power only grows as time progresses.

photo source: http://williamnicholls.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/kurzweil.jpg

What is Singularity?

              According to Kurzweil’s Law of Accelerating Returns, the spike in computing power will be expedited simply by the tendency of technological advancement to stack upon itself as years pass. Inevitably, as computers are tools for people and are becoming increasingly like us in the way they process information and react, we will give birth to superhumanly intelligent machines. This will catalyze a total shift in human society as whole, as machines will then be the most intelligent and powerful of all of us, and the exponential growth demonstrated above will reach heights unknown, as super intelligent minds will continue to breed other super intelligent beings. Consequently, new technologies, possibilities, theories, politics, and other aspects that govern human disposition will surely be compromised; the age of humanity will give way to a new era. (Vinge 1993) This is what futurists call “Technological Singularity” Kurweil predicts this event to occur at the year 2045. However, some argue that it may be much further off, since mapping the human mind into a machine means a full comprehensive understanding of human cognition and neural networks, which we have yet to achieve (Allen 2011)

                                                                                   

              The singularity may be achieved in two ways: either through the birth of Artificial Intelligence (AI) or by Intelligence Amplification (IA). (Vinge 1993) The former suggests creating mentally superior machines that can carry out all the functions of a human being (robots) and the latter suggests assimilating the human condition, mostly through Nano and biotechnology – connecting technology to our skin and minds, and turning ourselves into super intelligent beings (cyborgs).

Human

          “What is life? In all likelihood, I think, it is a play between logic and world. It is a set of effective procedures on numbers or objects that represent ontologically necessary states of affairs, including the calculus of eating and being eaten and the need to reproduce, and that produces self-consciousness in the process of designing these functions. What is intelligence? Much the same thing, I think, but not bound up with biological and evolutionary history.” – Carl H. Flygt

           The entirety of the theory begs a philosophical question: at what line do we prescribe what is to be considered human? If a machine were to develop such a complexity of cognition that it learned to develop emotions and was encased in the blood, tissue, and skin of a human, how would you say it was still inhuman? There is reasonable evidence to doubt that being “human” resonates only to our biological roots.

         That being said, I do not think that singularity is something to fear. The machines and tools we make will in a sense only be extensions of us, like our children. Their future role in society as the superior class will only be likened to natural selection, which has been occurring since the beginning of time. Should singularity come true, it will only be simple evolution.

         

Redd Claudio

2013-59776

References:

Kurzweil, Ray, 2001, “The Law Of Accelerating Returns”, KurzweilAI | Accelerating Intelligence. http://www.kurzweilai.net/the-law-of-accelerating-returns, March 6, 2014

Allen, Paul, 2011, “The Singularity Isn’t Near”, MIT Technology Review, Mark Greeves, http://www.technologyreview.com/view/425733/paul-allen-the-singularity-isnt-near/, March 7, 2014

Vinge, Verner, 1993, “What is Singularity?” Department of Mathematical Sciences, San Diego State University, http://mindstalk.net/vinge/vinge-sing.html, March 7, 2014

Flygt, Carl, 2007, “Philosophy and The Singularity” Conscious Conversation, http://www.consciousconversation.com/Essays/PhilosophyandtheTechnologicalSingularity.htm, March 9, 2014

Hard Work Conquers All: A Trip to the Moon Reaction Paper

Silent films always amaze me.  Yes, it’s hard to make films, but it's harder to create silent films. It’s because you need to make sure that the audience will understand the message of the film you are showing to them. Though silent films tend to be exaggerated, it is still a good thing. Exaggeration is a must since dialogues are not allowed, so naturally, actors must exaggerate all their actions for the viewers to understand.

Anyway, the film A Trip to the Moon was a good one. Aside from being a silent film, the story line was also great. It showed a great deal of creativity especially when the heavenly bodies were shown as human beings too. It’s quite comical too, seeing the Big Dipper with a face and Saturn leaning out of a window in his ringed planet. There is really no wonder why it was internationally popular during its time.

Aside from that, the film also showcased certain values, like bravery and hard work. Bravery in the sense that the other five astronomers were brave enough to risk their lives just to go to the moon. Also, the film showed that everything is possible with hard work. During that time, no matter how impossible it was to get to the moon, the astronomers’ hard work to create a space capsule proved that indeed, hard work conquers all.

Bea Cristine T. Ledesma

2013-64643

The Unfairness of Life: A Time Enough At Last Reaction Paper

Upon hearing the title of the video, one would surely be curious as to what it is about. The title itself will give the viewer the reason to watch the video until the very end.

The video talks about the one kind of robber whom the law does not strike ate, and who steals what is most important to us men: TIME. Henry Bernis is a bank teller and an avid bookworm. Being a bookworm, he sneaks reading books like David Copperfield even during working hours, leaving his boss mad at him and even his wife. But a very strange thing happened because of this hobby. He was the lone survivor of a nuclear war that happened, all because he read a book inside the bank’s vault. He was depressed, yes; he even almost succumbed into suicide. But when he saw the public library’s ruins and found so many still intact and readable books, he wasn’t able t contain his joy. Now, he has all the time in the world to read books without being interrupted by his wife, or without being scolded by his boss. But sometimes in life, there are things that hinder you from doing what you wanted to do best. Unexpected things happen and sometimes, we can’t do anything about it – we just have to let it be. And this is what exactly happened to Henry. Just as he was about to pick up the first book he will read, he stumbled and his thick glasses, which is the only thing that makes him see, shattered – leaving him completely blind for the rest of his lonely stay in the planet surrounded by all the books he now can never read.

Certain instances in life will really lead us to thinking that it is unfair. Yes, it happens. It is undeniable that what happened to Henry was a disaster. But there are times when you can't do anything but  scream and cry and accept that life can sometimes be unfair.

Bea Cristine T. Ledesma

2013-64643

Reaction paper: Imelda

                Before I watched the documentary, Imelda is just a word to me. I did not know much about her except for the fact that she is the former first lady who owns numerous pairs of expensive shoes and Filipiniana dresses.  But as I watched the documentary I learned and knew more about Imelda.

                Imelda may have accomplished numerous things during her reign as the first lady of the country. She was the one behind CCP and PICC and also different programs and projects. But she did all of these because she just can, because she has all the power and money. And she wants Philippines to be a “beautiful” country. But when in fact the only “beautiful” that she consider is herself. She eventually became self-centered and things are suddenly all about her. She was always right even if the decisions she made for the country won’t do anything good. She became lavish that she made sure not to wear the same pair of shoes twice.

                After the documentary, I can say that she is not really the selfish or narcissist woman like what most people look or think of her. It’s just that because of too much power that was in her hands, she became one.

Regina Alyssa L. Bargola

2013 - 68055

Embrace It Like He Did: A Reaction Paper on The Rhetorics of Cancer

Cancer – one of the few things humans are most afraid of. Even I tremble upon hearing this word. And it breaks my heart knowing that a number of people out there suffer this sometimes incurable disease.  Hearing cancer stories (or even reading about them on the net) is really heartbreaking. But hearing it from the cancer patient himself is a completely different story.

Andrew Graystone was diagnosed with cancer three years ago and until now, he is still suffering from such. He recounts his experiences while suffering from this killer disease and it is indeed evident that he wants to get rid of all the cancer cells in his body. Well, who wants to have cancer in the first place anyway? I assume that no one wants it. But the worst can always happen, and it may come to you when you least expect it. Graystone even said that people with cancer like him are conscripted into a battle against the self – with their bodies made into war zones, cancer as the enemy medical professionals and any medical treatments as heroes of the battle, even though they want to fight the battle or not. He tried so hard visit so many hospitals and institutions to ask for help but in the end, his view on cancer changed because of St. Francis of Assisi. He said that if he battled cancer, he is just putting himself in conflict with himself, so why not embrace it like ‘family’ like what St. Francis did.

It is indeed heart warming that you get to listen to Graystone’s podcast about his own illness. It gave me a new view on having serious (or even not-so-serious) diseases. When we speak of illness, people usually want one thing: to get rid or to cure themselves of the illness. But Andrew taught us that there is another way of handling it – a much more peaceful way of dealing with whatever disease you are suffering from. He is quite right though. As a matter of fact, I find myself agreeing to what he said – that it is better to embrace the disease and accept it since it is a part of you already. And besides, I know that we want to treat ourselves since we want to avoid the one thing that scares us the most: DEATH. But let’s face it. Death is inevitable. Even the most powerful being or the richest person cannot escape from it. When it’s your time, it’s your time. There is no need to prolong your agony. Better yet embrace it, like he did.


Bea Cristine T. Ledesma
2013-64643

Beyond Those Shoes

A reaction paper on Imelda

Aside from being the dictator’s wife, former first lady Imelda Marcos is also well-known for her wide collection of shoes. But there’s more to the first lady than her fancy shoes.

It was revealed that Imelda was already exposed to politics at a very young age. After having ‘won’ a national beauty pageant, she was able to catch the eyes and heart of the late president Ferdinand Marcos, thus making her the first lady of the country. She was also the governor of Manila that time.She saw herself as the shining star to which the downtrodden masses could look for inspiration. I was even surprised when she said that she takes more time in preparing herself when she’s meeting some peasants than in meeting some high-ranking officials. But what struck me the most was when there was someone who attempted to kill her in front of a very huge crowd. I didn’t know that happened. Maybe I was still a kid then. Anyway, as I watched that scene, I was genuinely scared and worried for her. That was a first. Though there were times that I disliked her, it doesn’t necessarily mean that I want her dead. It was a good thing that she wasn’t hurt so bad. It was quite funny when she was interviewed for the movie because she said that she didn’t want to die because she was stabbed using a mere bolo.

At the end of the film, there were so many things that I learned about the former first lady. I can see her as herself now and not just a mere wife of a dictator – that beyond those shoes lies a woman who did things in her own little way to help the country she grew up in.


Bea Cristine T. Ledesma
2013-64643

Reaction Paper: Rhetorics of Cancer

by Edissy Claudine T. Ramos

2009-33319

Fresh from the ‘feels’ after reading ‘The Fault in Our Stars’, I could not help being paranoid and scared about the Big C. I haven't lost someone close to me to cancer (and God forbid I wouldn't want that to happen), so I don’t really know what to feel, what to expect firsthand. In BBC’s podcast documentary, I have learned a lot - the varying languages and perceptions of the medical professionals, the mourning families, and the brave afflicted patients.

It explored military metaphors like battling and fighting cancer. Though we have given cancer a character - an evil antagonist, the military metaphors or the battle analogies are not appropriate all the time. Yes, it may be helpful to the suffering families and relatives and to comforting friends but the language of battle is not for every patient. If someone dies because of cancer, does that mean he was not brave enough to win the battle? Does that mean he was not strong and courageous enough to fight it?

It is heartbreaking, the way cancer is something we can never fully conquer. How can someone fight something that is in him, that is part of him, that is him? It is like a journey only the cancer-inflicted can really understand. It is their bodies fighting off their own cells in a life-or-death battle. It is a personal journey we can try to simplify in words and meanings, but these words will never be appropriate and will never be enough.

Shameless Extravagance

A Reaction Paper to Imelda

by Edissy Claudine T. Ramos

2009-33319

Unbelievable. That’s my first reaction to Imelda. She’s a shameless narcissistic attention-hungry  first lady without a conscience. How could a first lady act like that, think like that and spend heaps of money like that? It’s unbelievable how she threw money for her lavish lifestyle here and there, hosted classy parties everywhere when her country-the country his husband led/”reigned” was suffering. She clearly purposely overlooked the poverty and pains of her country with a head turned back and held-high. She was so self-obsessed with beauty, the spotlight, and the luxuries that she was blinded. Her unbelievable thinking, principles, quotes were witty but stupid. She’s a lying fool who never deserved everything she had.

Yes, she may have initiated the building of a couple of institutions and establishments and  she may have advanced arts and culture in her own way but that doesn't give her the right to spend too much - especially on thousands of shoes and outfits. She should have spent it on more meaningful long-term projects. Imagine how many classrooms could have been built, how many students could have gone to less-cramped schools, how many stomachs could have been filled, if her ‘investments’ on shoes and other material obsessions  were properly thought of. She was insane, maybe still is.

It does not matter how Imelda and Ferdinand were, are, or will be nicely projected in media, articles, documentaries, I will still think of Imelda as the selfish, materialistic, shamelessly extravagant wife of the most horrible tyrant-dictator. Imelda-Ferdinand is the worst nightmare the country’s ever had.  They could live a thousand lifetimes and still not deserve to be forgiven by their countrymen.

Reaction Paper: Futurama

by Edissy Claudine T. Ramos

2009-33319

The pilot episode of Futurama explored the idea of alien invasion and time travel among others. The main character was preserved in in a cryonic chamber and was preserved for a millennium before eventually waking up, and discovering how things have changed and how time has passed. Today, cryonics is a ‘legit thing’, in fact there are several cryonic facilities around the world. It is a part of a transhumanist movement where participants are kept and ‘preserved’ with high hopes that they will be resuscitation and healing in the future.

Floating vehicles, transport chutes, even suicide booths appeared in the pilot episode. Clearly, science and technology progressed in great leaps. If you consider how science and technology changed our society from the 1900s to 2000s, it’s no wonder how a millennium would entail that much change.

Yes, Futurama is an animated science-fiction sitcom but no one really knows how science is going to be, how it will shape culture and society. Futurama may seem far-fetched and crazy but it shows us one of the endless possibilities of our limitless future.

Reaction Paper: Trip to the Moon

by Edissy Claudine T. Ramos

2009-33319

I always have enjoyed Silent Films (Hello Charlie Chaplin and his mustache!) and the film Trip to the Moon is a must-watch. If I watched it on its first screening back in the 1900s, I would still be fascinated and probably more amazed and impressed.

Some might say the actors were exaggerating scenes, but I dont care. Of course, they have to exaggerate their actions and movements so that the audience can understand the story more clearly and easily since its a silent film. They had to give color to the characters, and clearly they did a good job. They even personified the moon which clearly reflected the cartoonish atmosphere of the film.

The instrumentals were really good and it set a really interesting tune to the story. Plot-wise, I find it amazing how they explored science when no other earlier films did.

Today, we might find their thoughts crazy, their idea of rocketing to the moon absurd, or their ideas on the things they’ll find in the moon funny.

Overall, I give it my two thumbs up. They really exerted much effort colorizing each frames in the film. You can also see how they’ve tried to showcase science and the need to advance it, in their own creative interpretation.

My Reaction: Time Enough at Last

My Twist: All The Time in The World

by Edissy Claudine T. Ramos

2009-33319

The short video reminds me of ‘In Time’, the 2011 science fiction action thriller starring Justin Timberlake and Amanda Seyfried. In a way, they are comparable.

In ‘In Time’, time has become the ultimate currency. It was a disturbing, yet a very profound theme in which you can stop aging if you have enough time, and you can have enough time if you have enough money to buy time. What struck me the most  was the character of Matt Bomer, a very time-rich old man who said, ‘But the day comes when you've had enough. Your mind can be spent, even if your body's not.  Everyone can't live forever.’

But in ‘Time Enough at Last’, someone was given the chance to live forever. It explored the story of Henry, a bank employee and a total bookworm who was the only one left in the world. He thought of ending his life since it was miserable living alone but then he saw the ruins of the library. It was the biggest collection of books he ever saw, he rejoiced and he had all the time in the world to read all the books he wanted. The movie ended ‘tragically’ when his reading glasses fell and was shattered to pieces.

Both videos make us realize that time is very important and should not be wasted. Yes we have priorities like our job, our studies but everything happens in its own time and its own season. The story of Henry is a perfect bittersweet plot of what everyone wants to have, all the time in the world to do all the things we love.

If I am to give an ending to Henry’s story, it goes like this. When  his reading glasses broke, he realized that no matter how long he lives, no matter how many book he has read, life will never be the same without the people he loved. He mourned not just the death of an everlasting happiness from literature, but also the death of his wife, his family, his co-workers. From too much sorrow and loneliness, he woke up. It turned out to be just a bad dream during his break inside the vault. He went on to change his life for the better.

(Individual Project) MARS ONE: The Idea of People Living on Mars

Individual Project

MARS ONE: The Idea of People Living on Mars

by Pauline de Leon

2011-44571

What is the term colonization in Mars? It is the idea of humans living permanently in Mars. The idea, which is at first considered science fiction is now being studied and can be made possible. In considering which planet to colonize by humans, Mars can be considered the best bet because according to Wikipedia, first, Martian soil is very similar to Earth. Second, there is a presence of water ice according to NASA. Third, Mars have seasons, just like Earth and lastly, some lichens and cyanobacteria were seen that existed on Mars. Basically, Mars has a lot of similarities on Earth than any other planet. But Human survival on Mars will surely require artificial environments.

The Dutch private space company Mars One plans to send four people to live to Mars. More than 200,000 aspiring astronauts applied and only 1000 plus made it to round 2. The catch for living in Mars is that, they can never go back. They have to learn to live in Mars for the rest of their life. The reason for the one-way trip is that it can save a lot of money. The applicants agreed and those who were accepted for the round 2 were so happy.

            Before setting their feet on Mars, the chosen four has to undergo 8 years of intensive training because of the different life in Mars. It will start on 2018, hopefully. According to Mars One website, “They will be isolated from the world for a few months every two years in groups of four in simulation facilities, to learn how they respond to living in close quarters while isolated from all humans except for the three crew members. In addition to the expertise and work experience they must already possess, they have to learn quite a few new skills: physical and electrical repairs to the settlement structures, cultivating crops in confined spaces, and addressing both routine and serious medical issues such as dental upkeep, muscle tears and bone fractures.” (See more at: http://www.mars-one.com/mission/humankind-on-mars#sthash.zFevek03.dpuf)

            It is the first planetary mission by a private space company. The mission’s goal is to collect information about Mars and set up a colony of humans in it. The launch will be on 2025. The travel time to Mars will take up to eight months. This will not be easy because they’ll only be eating canned goods and bathe themselves using wet wipes only. After they landed, they will live in a small settlement where they can wear regular clothes, shower, and eat normal food. But they have to wear special suits when they’ll go outside to explore Mars. They also have to exercise 3 hours a day to sustain their muscle mass. Every 2 years the company will add an additional four to live with the first four settlers. It will continue so the colony will grow, and hopefully expand successfully.

            Being the first private planetary mission, the Dutch company has to ask for solicitations and sponsorship. As of now, they were able to acquire $200,000 from donations. This is a £4bn project, founded in 2010 by engineer Bas Lansdorp.

            The astronauts have to find out how their bodies respond to the atmosphere and 38% gravitational field in Mars. They also have to explore the current and ancient geology in Mars. They also have to experiment on how they can put water on the planet and also on how food crops can grow in the hydroponic plant production units. The astronauts also have to share their insights and feelings about their new life.

SOURCES:

Colonization of Mars. (n.d.). In Wikipedia. Retrieved March 14, 2014 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colonization_of_Mars

Landau, E. (2013). 200,000 People Apply to Live on Mars. Retrieved March 14, 2014, from http://edition.cnn.com/2013/12/10/tech/innovation/mars-one-plan/

Griffiths, S. (2014). Mars One project selects the first 1,000 lucky space flyers hoping to live on the Red Planet (with the oldest aged 81). Retrieved March 14, 2014, from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2532567/Mars-One-project-selects-1-000-people-hoping-live-Red-Planet.html

Humankind on Mars. Mars One. Retrieved March 14, 2014, from http://www.mars-one.com/mission/humankind-on-mars.